By Adriano Marchese
Chip Wilson, founder of lululemon athletica, intensified his campaign against the company, accusing the board of weak governance and slow engagement as he pushes for sweeping changes.
In a letter to shareholders on Friday, the former chairman of the Vancouver, British Columbia-based athletic apparel company and its largest shareholder said that months of private outreach have gone nowhere. He added that the board had been slow to engage with his proposals and lacked the brand and creative expertise he believes is essential to restoring lululemon's long-term momentum.
Lululemon didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The dispute stems from what Wilson sees as a widening gap between lululemon's creative engine and what he says is the board's inability to translate the brand's strengths into sustained success.
Part of his proposed remedy is a board refresh. Wilson launched a proxy fight in December, proposing three new candidates to add to the board while the company searches for a new chief executive.
The nominees are former On Running co-CEO Marc Maurer, former ESPN Chief Marketing Officer Laura Gentile and former Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg, but Wilson says the board hasn't taken his request seriously.
In January, Wilson addressed the company in an LinkedIn post, reprimanding it for the poor quality material of the company's Get Low leggings that had a see-through effect, which forced lululemon to pause sales of the product.
"The board's only credible path forward is to engage and work with me, one of lululemon's largest shareholders, to effectuate substantial change.
Write to Adriano Marchese at adriano.marchese@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 27, 2026 08:57 ET (13:57 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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